My Students: Do you remember being read to as a child? Do you tuck your own children into bed with a good night story? This is the foundation for literacy and this how the love of reading begins.

I am entering my fifth year of teaching at a Title 1 school in Illinois. Over 75% of my students come from low income households. My school has not made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) in the last eight years and more specifically has not made AYP in reading. None of my students are reading at grade level.

My Project: Many of my students have never been read to, they don’t own a book or they have nowhere to read a book in their own homes. I see how my read alouds spark magic in my students and often seem to transport them to a different place in their imagination. I would like for them to find this magic on their own, in a special classroom reading nook. I have been accumulating books for a classroom library, but I need chairs and tools for students to organize their learning.

Help me to encourage the importance of reading and show how it offers better opportunities for these students. The items I am requesting include two beanbag chairs to encourage students to get comfy with a good book. I would also appreciate a tabletop communication center to keep reading sheets organized and accessible and to allow students to manage their own reading records. Finally, a subscription to TIMEforKids to focus on nonfiction reading and to read with a purpose.

Reading is the key to success, not just for my students, but for our country and the world. I often tell my students that the only difference between them and anyone else is what you know. And you know something by reading about it. My students come to me with a deficiency in reading. I need to create, in my students, the desire to read. I can do this by teaching them how to read better and by giving them the the books and environment conducive to reading.